Parking system for automobiles



April 28, 1953 LEBERT PARKING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. 5, 1949 )M/EA/TOR HERBERT A. LEBEPT fl/LS A T TORNEM Patented Apr. 28 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PARKING SYSTEM FOR AUTOMOBILES Herbert A. Lebert, Millbrae, Calif. Application December 5, 1949, Serial No. 131,211

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to the art of parking motor cars, and the broad object of the invention is the provision of means by which the parking facilities in any given city block may be substantially increased. Other objects include the provision of such facilities at reasonable cost, convenience to the user and a minimum of obstruction at street level.

The invention has other objects which will be explained in the following description of that form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this single embodiment, but may be included in a plurality of forms as set forth in the claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in vertical section; and Figure 2 is a plan view of my system erected around an entire city block bisected by an alley.

The problems involved in providing sufficient parking space in down-town areas have steadily increased in difiiculty with increase in the use of automobiles. Parking lots and parking garages are only part of the answer because in the larger cities at least, there are never anywhere near enough of them within a given area to accommodate the cars of the people seeking parking facilities in that area.

My approach to a solution is the virtual doubling of the curb parking space by the erection of a centrally supported drive and parkway, wide enough for two cars to pass, and at an elevation sufiicient to permit passenger cars to pass or park below it. By locating the central supporting columns at or near the curb line, one-half the structure overlies the sidewalk area and the other half overlies the area used for conventional curb parking. By reserving the outer half for the free movement of cars, and the inner half for parallel parking, the curb parking area of the block on the side of the street on which the structure is located is duplicated and an additional traffic lane provided, all with no lessening of the normal parking and trafiic capacity of the street.

Parking meters may be installed in the parking strip, and by conservative estimates, such revenues are capable of liquidating the costs of the structure within a reasonable time. Objection can be raised of course that the structure is unsightly and blocks 011 light from the shop windows of buildings along which it extends. Both objections must yield to the sterner necessity for more parking space. The relatively W 6, on which a cross beam 1 is fixed at about the center. Corner plates 8 on each side stiffen the resulting T formation.

A series of these T formations are spaced along the curb line 9 of the street and suitably connected by structural elements including the stringers I0 and II. A pavement I2 is then laid on the cross beams and curbs l3 and 14 formed over the outer stringers as shown. A clearance of as little as eight feet above the sidewalk may be used in some places; and this is more than enough for cars l6, parked in the curb space under the structure.

The distance between curbs I3 and It may conveniently be about sixteen feet, thus allowing an amply wide inner strip or lane ll for the parallel parking of cars l8 against the inner curb I4. This leaves an outer lane or trafic strip IQ for access to the parking strip, and also in cases of emergency, as a tranic lane additional to the street.

Passage to and from the trafiic strip I9 is provided by a ramp 21 at each end. It is to be noted that the length of the ramp is approximately that of the parking space for which I have allowed twenty-two feet; and that therefore the capacity of a given installation of my parking system, except for one car at each end where the parking strip is bounded by a retaining wall 2 la, is the same as the original street area below the tranic strip. in an installation such as shown in Figure 2, a car may be parked at each corner as shown, so that the parking capacity of this installation is actually the same as that of the original street area below the tramc strip; and this, without reference to fire plugs or other restricted areas, and with no restriction to tranic into and out 01 the alley.

After parking on my elevated parking strip, the occupants of the parked cars must be able to reach the street level, and the sidewalk. Means for this are provided in a narrow pathway 22, bordered by the ra1l Z3 and supported on cantilever arms 24, extending from the inner curb l4 3 toward the building 26, in front of which the parking structure lies. A stairway 2'! is arranged at convenient intervals between the pathway and street sidewalk 3.

In rsum, the advantages which can properly be attributed to my elevated parkway include the following: A lower first cost since no ground need be purchased or cleared. A lower upkeep since no attendants are required to park the cars. Protection from the elements for sidewalk pedestrians especially at corners while waiting for trafi'ic and signals. Novel viewpoint of store display windows arranged with reference to the elevated motorists, parked or walking. Original cost amortized in about three years by parking meter receipts, and collections from'space rental allocations to store owners. Convenient'parking facilities for store owners and employees, thus freeing the conventional curb parking spacefor shoppers.

Iclaim:

A system for parking automobiles above street level comprising a roadway including an automobile tramc strip and an automobile'parking strip side-by-side and arranged on at least two intersecting streets and being continuous around the corner of the intersection, said traflic strip extending over and overlying only the width of aparking'lane in the street below and said parkin proximity oi the ramps, pedestrian walks adjacent the parking strip and Stairways connecting the pedestrian walks with the street level sidewalk.

' HERBERT A. LEBERT.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED "STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,543,080 Graves June 23, 1925 1,836,518 Mason -i Nov. 3, 1931 2,13,4-.33 Curtis Jan. 10, 1939 2,225,186 Sorensen Dec. 17, 1940 OTHER. REFERENCES P-P. Scientific American, June 22, 1907, the

cover page.

Printed Pub. Automobile Trade Journal, December 1924, page 331. 

